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Partnership For 21st Century Skills. (2009) - P21 Framework Definitions
Partnership For 21st Century Skills. (2009) - P21 Framework Definitions
Partnership For 21st Century Skills. (2009) - P21 Framework Definitions
To help practitioners integrate skills into the teaching of core academic subjects, the
Partnership has developed a unified, collective vision for learning known as the
Framework for 21st Century Learning. This Framework describes the skills, knowledge
and expertise students must master to succeed in work and life; it is a blend of content
knowledge, specific skills, expertise and literacies.
Every 21st century skills implementation requires the development of core academic
subject knowledge and understanding among all students. Those who can think critically
and communicate effectively must build on a base of core academic subject knowledge.
Within the context of core knowledge instruction, students must also learn the
essential skills for success in today’s world, such as critical thinking, problem
solving, communication and collaboration.
When a school or district builds on this foundation, combining the entire Framework with
the necessary support systems—standards, assessments, curriculum and instruction,
professional development and learning environments—students are more engaged in the
learning process and graduate better prepared to thrive in today’s global economy.
While the graphic represents each element distinctly for descriptive purposes,
the Partnership views all the components as fully interconnected in the process
of 21st century teaching and learning.
The elements described in this section as “21st century student outcomes” (represented
by the rainbow) are the knowledge, skills and expertise students should master to
succeed in work and life in the 21st century.
Mastery of core subjects and 21st century themes is essential for all students in
the 21st century. Core subjects include:
• English, reading or language arts
• World languages
• Arts
• Mathematics
• Economics
• Science
• Geography
• History
• Government and Civics
In addition to these subjects, we believe schools must move to include not only a
focus on mastery of core subjects, but also promote understanding of academic
content at much higher levels by weaving 21st century interdisciplinary themes
into core subjects:
Global Awareness
• Using 21st century skills to understand and address global issues
• Learning from and working collaboratively with individuals representing
diverse cultures, religions and lifestyles in a spirit of mutual respect and
open dialogue in personal, work and community contexts
• Understanding other nations and cultures, including the use of non-English
languages
Civic Literacy
• Participating effectively in civic life through knowing how to stay informed
and understanding governmental processes
• Exercising the rights and obligations of citizenship at local, state, national
and global levels
• Understanding the local and global implications of civic decisions
Environmental Literacy
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the environment and the
circumstances and conditions affecting it, particularly as relates to air,
climate, land, food, energy, water and ecosystems
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of society’s impact on the
natural world (e.g., population growth, population development, resource
consumption rate, etc.)
• Investigate and analyze environmental issues, and make accurate
conclusions about effective solutions
• Take individual and collective action towards addressing environmental
challenges (e.g., participating in global actions, designing solutions that
inspire action on environmental issues)
Learning and innovation skills increasingly are being recognized as those that separate
students who are prepared for a more and more complex life and work environments in
the 21st century, and those who are not. A focus on creativity, critical thinking,
communication and collaboration is essential to prepare students for the future.
Think Creatively
• Use a wide range of idea creation techniques (such as brainstorming)
• Create new and worthwhile ideas (both incremental and radical concepts)
• Elaborate, refine, analyze and evaluate their own ideas in order to improve and
maximize creative efforts
Reason Effectively
• Use various types of reasoning (inductive, deductive, etc.) as appropriate to
the situation
Solve Problems
• Solve different kinds of non-familiar problems in both conventional and
innovative ways
• Identify and ask significant questions that clarify various points of view and
lead to better solutions
Communicate Clearly
• Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written and nonverbal
communication skills in a variety of forms and contexts
• Listen effectively to decipher meaning, including knowledge, values, attitudes
and intentions
• Use communication for a range of purposes (e.g. to inform, instruct, motivate
and persuade)
• Utilize multiple media and technologies, and know how to judge their
effectiveness a priori as well as assess their impact
• Communicate effectively in diverse environments (including multi-lingual)
People in the 21st century live in a technology and media-suffused environment, marked
by various characteristics, including: 1) access to an abundance of information, 2) rapid
changes in technology tools, and 3) the ability to collaborate and make individual
contributions on an unprecedented scale. To be effective in the 21st century, citizens and
workers must be able to exhibit a range of functional and critical thinking skills related to
information, media and technology.
INFORMATION LITERACY
MEDIA LITERACY
Analyze Media
• Understand both how and why media messages are constructed, and for what
purposes
• Examine how individuals interpret messages differently, how values and points
of view are included or excluded, and how media can influence beliefs and
behaviors
• Apply a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues surrounding the
access and use of media
Today’s life and work environments require far more than thinking skills and content
knowledge. The ability to navigate the complex life and work environments in the
globally competitive information age requires students to pay rigorous attention to
developing adequate life and career skills.
Adapt to Change
• Adapt to varied roles, jobs responsibilities, schedules and contexts
• Work effectively in a climate of ambiguity and changing priorities
Be Flexible
• Incorporate feedback effectively
• Deal positively with praise, setbacks and criticism
• Understand, negotiate and balance diverse views and beliefs to reach workable
solutions, particularly in multi-cultural environments
Work Independently
• Monitor, define, prioritize and complete tasks without direct oversight
Be Self-directed Learners
• Go beyond basic mastery of skills and/or curriculum to explore and expand
one’s own learning and opportunities to gain expertise
• Demonstrate initiative to advance skill levels towards a professional level
• Demonstrate commitment to learning as a lifelong process
• Reflect critically on past experiences in order to inform future progress
Manage Projects
• Set and meet goals, even in the face of obstacles and competing pressures
• Prioritize, plan and manage work to achieve the intended result
Produce Results
• Demonstrate additional attributes associated with producing high quality
products including the abilities to:
- Work positively and ethically
- Manage time and projects effectively
- Multi-task
- Participate actively, as well as be reliable and punctual
- Present oneself professionally and with proper etiquette
- Collaborate and cooperate effectively with teams
- Respect and appreciate team diversity
- Be accountable for results
Be Responsible to Others
• Act responsibly with the interests of the larger community in mind
The elements described below are the critical systems necessary to ensure student
mastery of 21st century skills. 21st century standards, assessments, curriculum,
instruction, professional development and learning environments must be aligned to
produce a support system that produces 21st century outcomes for today’s students.
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is a national organization that advocates for the
integration of skills such as critical thinking, problem solving and communication into the
teaching of core academic subjects such as English, reading or language arts, world
languages, arts, mathematics, economics, science, geography, history, government and
civics.
The Partnership and our member organizations provide tools and resources that help
facilitate and drive this necessary change.
Copyright © 2009, The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. All rights reserved.